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AFL and NRL employ different strategies

TONY EASTLEY: A key difference has emerged between Australia's two major sporting codes in their approach to the drugs in sports scandal.

The Australian Football League says one club, Essendon, and a player from another club are being investigated for potentially using performance enhancing drugs.

But the National Rugby League, the NRL, says it won't publicly identify any clubs under investigation.

David Mark reports.

DAVID MARK: We now know that where the Australian Crime Commission refers to the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in a number of professional sporting codes, it's concentrating on the country's two biggest football competitions - the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League.

Here's the Federal Home Affairs and Justice Minister Jason Clare:

JASON CLARE: In the course of their investigation, the crime commission also identified that the use of these drugs, the peptides and hormones, are also being used in other codes as well, but most of the work was focused on the NRL and the AFL.

DAVID MARK: Now the AFL has gone public over two what it calls "identified instances" of possible performance enhancing drug use.

The deputy CEO of the AFL Gillon McLachlan says those cases involve an individual and a team.

GILLON MCLACHLAN: In this case it's possible that players were administered the WADA prohibited performance enhancing drugs without their knowledge or consent.

DAVID MARK: He freely nominated that team as Essendon, the club that outed itself last Tuesday.

GILLON MCLACHLAN: I think it's reasonable to say given that Essendon football club has come forward to the AFL and to ASADA, proactively advised us of concerns they have, it's reasonable to talk to that.

DAVID MARK: Mr McLachlan says the other possible drug case involves just one player at one club. He didn't name either.

The Australian Crime Commission has provided classified briefings to the AFL. It can't publicly name the clubs it's investigated but a spokeswoman for the crime commission says it wasn't the source of the information outlined by the AFL.

We still don't know what the crime commission means when it says the use of performance enhancing drugs is, quote, "widespread" in Australian sport.

But the AFL certainly appears to be suggesting drug use is not widespread in its sport.

GILLON MCLACHLAN: What we know right now is the two instances of potential performance enhancing drug use (inaudible), no potential issues around match fixing, some vulnerabilities in use of illicit substances. That's what we know.

So I'm trying to give context to our supporters, our clubs, the media, our corporate partners, and that that is what we're talking about in the AFL right now as we stand. And we continue to work with the relevant authorities to find out further.

DAVID MARK: And Gillon McLachlan says the coming AFL season won't be affected by the drugs scandal.

GILLON MCLACHLAN: The AFL is not aware of any issues of potential use of performance enhancing drugs by any players on an AFL list coming into the 2013 season.

There are some potential historical issues that we are investigating. There are vulnerabilities. But at the moment that investigation will take some time and until we get to the bottom of that the season will go ahead until we have further information.

DAVID MARK: Players who use peptides and growth hormones can be suspended for two years.

As for the NRL, unlike the AFL, it's not naming clubs. Yesterday the league put out a statement which says in part:

EXTRACT FROM NRL STATEMENT: The NRL will not, under the guidelines outlined by the ACC, be able to identify the clubs publicly.

DAVID MARK: The statement, attributed to the CEO of the Australian Rugby League Commission Dave Smith, says the NRL remains bound by strict legal constraints.

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